Partitioning your hard drive can make it more efficient, and it can also enable you to install more than one operating system on your computer. But partitioning can also be an arcane task. This article offers some advice on partitioning.
In these days of double and triple-digit gigabyte
hard drives, it's rare that anyone complains that they don't have enough space
for their applications, games, and files. While having all this space is
wonderful, it can also cause problems. All that wide-open space can become
fragmented, causing the file system to become corrupt. That can mean trouble.
And if you try to install another operating system beside Windows, you can
cause both operating systems to go kaput.
Luckily, there's a way around
this. It's called partitioning. And with the right tools and a bit of patience,
it can change your computing experience.
Some Partitioning Basics
Partitioning is the act of
dividing your hard drive into smaller pieces, called (you guessed it) partitions.
Think of partitioning as carving up your hard drive into bit-sized segments.
The hard drive isn't physically cut up, and the separate pieces are independent
of one another.
The average, out of the box
computer comes with only one hard drive. This drive, in turn, has only one
partition that spans the breadth of the drive. This is called the primary
partition. While you can have up to four primary partitions on a drive, one is
visible on your computer at any one time.
You can get around the
four-partition limit with an extended partition. You can chop an extended
partition up even further. These segments are called logical partitions or
logical drives. A logical partition is simply a virtual disk you create on a
hard drive. You can format a logical partition, and assign it a drive
letter.
While partitioning can be very
useful, you can only boot your computer from one partition at a time. And,
generally, you can't see any of the other partitions on your drive.
Why Partition?
There are a number of reasons to
partition a hard drive. You might want to install multiple operating systems on
your PC. For example, you want to have a version of Windows XP for home use,
and Windows 2000 for work. Something that's becoming increasingly popular is
installing Linux (a version of the UNIX operating system for desktop PCs) in
addition to Windows. Because individual operating systems either use different
file systems or many of the same files, installing more than one on a singe
partition can make the operating systems inoperable.
Disk Management
Another reason is disk management.
If you're still using Windows 98, you'll find that its file system is based on
clusters. Unfortunately, the size of the clusters is based on the size of your
hard drive. The larger the drive, the larger the clusters. This creates a lot
of wasted space. Why? Files can have a large clusters reserved for their
storage, even if the files aren't anywhere near the size of the clusters.
Anywhere up to half the cluster is wasted. While this maybe only a few
kilobytes per file, it adds up to megabytes when you take into account all the
files on your computer. By partitioning, you can shrink the size of these
clusters, and the amount of wasted space, dramatically.
Regardless of how big or small
your hard drive is, files can accumulate quickly. Typically, files scatter to
various folders and become disorganized. This is true even if you use the My
Documents folder, the central repository for documents in Windows.
Unfortunately, many people use My Documents as a dumping place for all
of their files. But with all the personal files and software that most people
load on to their machines, hunting for documents becomes a chore. With a
partition devoted to storing your files, you can make the job of keeping track of
your files easier.
The Tools
There are a handful of really good
tools available for partitioning hard drives. Best of all, they're graphical
applications. They include Partition Magic, Partition Commander, Disk Manager,
and Partition Manager. With these tools, the task becomes quite simple. Better
yet, they come with utilities that allow you to delete, resize, merge, and copy
partitions with just a few mouse clicks. And they have utilities that let you
boot operating systems installed on any new partitions.
If you happen to use Windows 2000,
they check out the utility called Disk Management. Disk Management's main
purpose is to manage hard drives. But it's also a decent partitioning tool. You
can use Disk Management to change existing partitions on your hard drive, or
partition a new hard drive. However, the partitions you create using Disk
Management can only be used by Windows -- you can't, for example, install a new
operating system on one of those partitions.
Before Partitioning
So, you've decided to take the
plunge. There are a few things you need to do before you start the process of
partitioning. The first is to choose your tool. Don't make a choice based only
on our recommendations or what a friend or colleague has told you. Visit the
Web sites of partitioning software developers, compare features, and read
reviews. Find out as much as you can and make an informed decision.
Once you've chosen your tool,
remember that while the software may make partitioning easy but it can also be
dangerous. If you make a mistake, like formatting the wrong partition or
choosing a primary instead of a logical partition, you can wipe that partition
out. This will destroy all of your files, wipe out your operating system, the
whole shebang. So, before you install the partitioning program read the
documentation. Thoroughly.
How Big?
Try to determine the size of the
partition you need. You'll want make the new partition as large as possible,
while leaving enough space on the primary partition. Say you want to install a
copy of Linux on the new partition and the distribution you're using recommends
6 GB of space. So, if you have 25 GB of free hard drive space you might want to
allocate 10 GB to the new partition. This should leave you with enough room to
add new Linux applications and files, and give you enough space to add software
to the primary partition as well.
It's always useful to check the
amount of free space you have on the hard drive you plan to partition. In
Windows, open Explorer. Right-click the label for the drive and select
Properties. The Properties dialog displays amount of free and used space. If
have less than 200 MB of free hard drive space and want to install another
operating system, partitioning is definitely not worthwhile. Any current
operating system probably won't fit on the partition. That said, there's no
reason why you can't set up a small (20 to 30 MB partition) for files or
software.
Clean Up
Do some basic housekeeping to free
up some space on your hard drive, and clean up any wayward clusters. Defragment
your hard drive and delete any temporary files in the emp or windows emp
folders. Even doing something as innocuous as emptying your Web browser's cache
can free up a few megabytes.
Remember to back up your important
files. In the off chance something goes wrong when partition the drive, you'll
at least have saved your important data.
Once your partition is in place,
you can use it to store your files, to install new software, or just about
anything else you can think of.
Using Power Tools
If you're going to partition your
hard drive, you should to use an industrial strength partitioning tool comes
in. The best software in this category is Partition Commander. There's nothing
wrong with any of the other applications on the market -- they are all fine
tools. But Partition Commander is quite easy to install and its interface is a
lot easier to use than its rivals. Regardless, you should be able to adapt
these instructions to any Windows partitioning program.
Regardless of what you choose, the
first thing that you need to do is install the software. Just follow the
instructions that come with it. The software is installed, start it up. Most
partitioning programs use wizards. A wizard is a program that guides you
through a process, breaking the process down into discrete steps and giving you
as much information as you need. Follow the wizard, but also read the documentation for the partitioning tool before and (if necessary) while you are partitioning your drive.
Making a Little Extra Space
You have your partitions. You're
happily loading files on them. But now you want a little more space. What do
you do? If it's a Windows partition, you can use your Windows partitioning
software to resize the partition. This is a pretty safe to do, but accidents
can happen. Why not let Windows do the work for you?
Windows has built-in software that
lets you free up some space on a disk. Under Windows 98, the software is called
DriveSpace. To access DriveSpace, select Programs from the Start Menu. From the
Accessories menu, choose System Tools then select DriveSpace. To compress a
drive, select Compress from the Drive menu. When prompted, click Compress Now.
You'll have to restart your computer.
Under Windows 2000 and XP, the
process is easier. In Windows 2000, open Explorer, right-click the label for
the drive, and select Properties. Then, click Compress drive to save disk
space. In XP, do the same thing but
click Disk Cleanup instead.
Conclusion
Using the right tools, and a bit
of care, partitioning your hard drive can be a painless task. Partitioning can
also make your computing more efficient and, if you're installing another
operating system, expand your computing experience.